4 Stars!

Life throws curves at all of us and those curves seem to be coming fast and furious toward me this year. During a somewhat tumultuous time in my life, I started reading Silent Key by Laurel Hightower and found that many of the story elements seemed almost reflective of what I have been going through. Top that off with one heck of a good story, and this was a novel that quickly became one of my favorites of the year.





Cam Ambrose would have never thought there would be anything more difficult than losing her husband. She was wrong, though. When her husband is brutally murdered at the home of his mistress, she faced not only loss but betrayal as well. Then things got worse. Her daughter began to converse with her dead father and Cam felt threatened by whoever murdered her husband, so she resigned from the NYPD and her career as a detective and moved to her uncle’s house in a small town in Texas. Her deceased uncle’s house, who had died a similar death to her husband’s: gruesomely disfigured and soaked in salt water. The move provided no relief for Cam and her daughter, though, for it was not a person who murdered her husband. It was something far more sinister, and it was coming for them.





The horror starts shortly after Cam arrives in Texas and she finds herself chased from her new home into the house of a stranger. Even that, though, will not keep her safe. Death is not the end but just the beginning of a whole new world. Cam discovers her husband was involved with the occult and working to stop something from the past from entering into their lives and hunting their daughter. What threat, though, could a Cold War Russian submarine present to her family? And what was the hidden secret of Cam’s Russian friend, Dimi? She must turn to the most unlikely allies to find the answers before death comes for her and her daughter and the secret lies only in the silent key.



Silent Key is an interesting novel with a mix of an military thriller mixed with a supernatural horror story. Hightower does a good job of balancing both elements of the story so that they blend together in a way that makes them feel almost real. The backstory, although remaining somewhat vague to me, provided enough of a base to build the tension on that it gave the story a fleshed-out feel. The story does not bog down at all, but it provides enough in the way of building up the story that the readers feels as if this is something that could really be happening. Hightower ramps things up on a slow burn that creates an atmospheric horror feel to the story and at times it is difficult to tell what is real and what is imagined. This is very good stuff and it kept me glued to the pages throughout.



If I had one quibble with Silent Key, it is that the silent key just does not come into play much at all in the story. This seemed like a lost opportunity to me. It ties into the back story of the story. Maybe I missed something, but this was a minor distraction for me. Overall, however, this is a very good novel and will undoubtedly be one of the best that I read this year. Hightower crafts a story that has one foot in reality and one in the grave to create a unique tale that grabbed my interest from the start and never let go. The blend of the supernatural with real-world intrigue made the story much stronger than it would have been without either of the elements so that it read as a horror story but also allowed the reader to try to unravel the mystery from the past as well. This novel is high on intrigue and Hightower keeps building the tension until the very end. . .and maybe beyond? There is a hint of a potential follow up to the story at the end, and I would not mind that at all. Silent Key may be a little light on horror for those who enjoy their novels more on the extreme side of the genre, but it is highly recommended for anyone who is just looking for one heck of a good novel



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Silent Key is available now.

After the death of her husband, Cam discovers the secrets he kept from her, including a mistress and a strange ability he shared with their young daughter. Desperate for a new start, Cam and her family – adopted brother Dimi, a former Russian gangster, and five-year-old daughter Sammy – move from New York to her deceased uncle’s home in Texas. But even away from the city, Cam can’t escape Tony’s strange death, and the move raises more questions than answers.

Laurel Hightower is an expert at crafting relatable characters who may not always do the right thing, but are usually trying to. Cam is no exception. Her grief for Tony is tinged by the secrets he kept, and the betrayal of discovering her marriage was worse than it seemed. At every step, she’s trying to do right by her daughter and keep her safe, made difficult by the fact her daughter seems to have inherited her father’s talents for keeping secrets. It’s Cam’s struggles, too, that make this an interesting read, as she constantly needs to balance protecting Sammy with Sammy’s own feelings. As a mother, she’s far from perfect, and she often missteps with her daughter, struggling to protect her while she feels uncomfortable with Sammy’s ‘abilities’ and her relationship with Tony’s mistress.

Yet she would go to the ends of the earth for Sammy, and through the novel we see her learning how to really listen to her daughter, acknowledging she doesn’t always understand but she will try to. It’s something else Hightower excels at – she often writes mothers as main characters, showing these women as flawed and all too human, and underscoring it with the fact none of that, and none of the strange things they experience, make them bad mothers in the slightest.

I really liked the characters surrounding Cam, too, from the kindly, gruff neighbour dealing with his father’s dementia, to Cam’s brother, Dimi, who likes to constantly remind her he’s ‘not a good guy’. This is the third book I’ve read by Laurel, and she remains consistent in her ability to really weave horror in with motherhood, grief, and humanity, creating compelling characters facing supernatural threats with a particular kind of strength. Definitely a recommendation from me.

Hightower is one of my favorites. She can write anything. This one feels at home in the Hightower universe. She is able to weave just the right amount of mystery through this supernatural tale, keeping you involved and glued to every page.
Don't miss out on this one.

Incredible! I loved the premise of the story and found myself engaged the whole way though. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to my friends and audience.

Laurel Hightower is one of my faves, Cross Roads will forever be one of my favorite novellas and while this one wasn’t exactly like I was expecting from her, I still thoroughly enjoyed it! Hightower is a master at writing grief stories, and SILENT KEY had grief, a bit of horror and even a smidge of thriller/mystery to it. I loved all of the characters, the romance wasn’t too much (especially for someone who doesn’t like to read romance) and I really found myself invested in the storyline. Many thanks to Flame Tree Press for my eARC. SILENT KEY is available now.

5/5

This is water horror at tit's absolute finest. This should be a film. Lengthy review to come while I put together my thoughts. Excellent prose thats faster paced but doesn't lack for quality.

I hate to say it but I'm finding having a bit of a hard time remembering this one. I pushed myself to get through it. Sadly it had such a slow start for me. I always found myself not fully invested. There is also a lot of things I didn't fully get because I read to read it. I can tell you bits and pieces from the story. This one just didn't do it for me. I do want to read more from Laurel Hightower, I think she's a great author.

*Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my opinion.*

Laurel Hightower is so good at writing complex mourners. Every character in this book is grappling with their own grief. Whether it’s over recent grisly deaths, or decades of pent up trauma.

Upon his vicious death, Cam finds out her husband has been lying to her. The man she thought she knew never existed. He hid his marriage-long infidelity, and he hide the ability to speak to ghosts. An ability he’s passed on to their daughter.

Needing to start fresh, they move from NYC to her recently deceased uncles property in Texas. But the ghosts seem to be coming with them. Cam has to contend with her husband and uncles deaths likely being connected; to the Russian whispers that crackle over a broken radio; to a sunken submarine that is physically haunting their new home.

There are so many interesting threads in Silent Key. We have elements of a police procedural, a revenge plot, an incredibly toxic haunting, and a family rebuilding after so much loss.

While they are all balanced well, and I enjoyed the story, I ultimately wanted more from the ending. All of the scenes with the submarine are excellent and I wanted so much more of that story, because it’s terrifying.

The epilogue sets up potential for some of these characters to be revisited, and I’m curious to see where Laurel takes them next.

Thank you to @netgalley and @flametreepress for an arc of this title.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Silent Key by Laurel Hightower, a creepy horror which devours you very slowly right from the start. I was totally sucked in the book right from the start, and after that it was a journey through extreme horror. The plot takes its time to build up the atmosphere. It is one of those books which you will not prefer to read at night. The sightings, happenings all together were so spine chilling that I am still thinking about the book. With every page the mystery deepens and new shocking revelations are made. I would say that it is one of the best horror books that I have read this year. The climax is definitely going to haunt for many days. A perfect Halloween Read for the readers. Definitely, the book deserves 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Random Things Tours for providing me with an opportunity to read and review the book.

I wanted to love this one, and I certainly did love aspects of it. For me, the pacing was just off. It felt slow at times, and I didn't ever find myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it.

I did love the character of Cam and her dynamic with her sort of adopted brother/former international assassin type guy, Dimi. I liked the character of Eric Morgan, too, but the romantic aspects felt forced. I would have loved to have the dogs included more in the story as it unfolded. It is said that animals have an awareness of things we can not see, and I think this story could have capitalized on that perfectly.

Overall, this was a decent story with some great characters. I'm definitely going to be checking out more works by this author.

This book was just the right amount of creepy! Kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. Loved the characters as well as the overall story. There were definitely some chapters I couldn’t read at night! 4 stars for me!

Cam Ambrose leaves her job as a detective with the NYPD after her husband is murdered. She moves to her late uncle's house along with her daughter Samantha and her best friend/ adopted brother Dimi. Strange things start to happen in the house leading to an investigation to save the lives of the ones she loves.

Silent Key is full of mystery, dread, and chilling moments. This is a haunted house story unlike any other. Cam is a strong main character who is a great mom and friend while figuring out the mystery behind the supernatural happening that are plaguing her family. There are elements of haunted house and water horror. This is a great story with compelling characters and plot. I highly recommend this novel to fans of horror.

In the horror thriller novel Silent Key by Laurel Hightower, NYPD Detective Camilla "Cam" Ambrose struggles to find her footing after her entire world view is forced to shift following the brutal and mysterious death of her husband Tony leaves her with the gut wrenching reality that her husband (and their young daughter) have been keeping terrifying secrets from her. Nobody wants to believe that ghosts are real, let alone that they may be tormenting your little girl, but Cam is committed to protecting little Samantha from any and all threats, even the ones she doesn't understand.

Horror is not typically a genre I reach for, and since I was going into this book blind I thought I was just picking up another thrilling mystery. The problem I personally find with horror books is that the fear of the paranormal does not translate as well on paper as it does on screen. But this is the first book to prove me wrong. Hightower does a great job of building anxiety that slowly creeps under your skin and leaves you with the dilemma of trying to decide whether or not you really want the answers to the questions you have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for this advanced reader copy of Silent Key by Laurel Hightower to be reviewed.

The way I get so excited each time I know Laurel Hightower will be releasing a new story, novella, or novel! SILENT KEY is a solid addition to Hightower's impressive collection of writing. She knows how to craft total badass characters, especially women. Her wit and intellect are given life with these characters she creates. Fans of Hightower's previous works might liken Silent Key more to Whispers in the Dark as opposed to Crossroads, Below, etc as they relate to plot and themes. It's real life grief and hauntings and ghosts... and it's blended with police and mystery and paranormal. I loved Whispers in the Dark as it was my introduction to her writing and it was just easy to fall in love with the mystery in Silent Key, too. The relationship of the main character and her daughter was something I became super invested in. I NEEDED EVERYONE TO STAY SAFE!! I am just so impressed with the way she can write characters and have us instantly feel for them and be protective of them, constantly worrying for them and wishing for their success. There are quite a few twists and turns along the way and Hightower does a great job at exposing hidden truths at just the right times and the best ways possible. Hightower is such a powerhouse when it comes to writing and I am already eager for what is next!

On Goodreads, this novel is described as having elements of Nick Cutter’s The Deep and Peter Benchley’s Jaws. I think these comparisons are misleading and you will be disappointed if you go into it hoping for some type of oceanic horror. I'm not sure where these comparisons came from as only a very small portion of the story takes place under water.

Silent Key is more a ghost story/mystery focusing on a recently widowed former detective and mother trying to protect her daughter from supernatural forces. I enjoyed this story. The narrative moves along at a good pace and I liked the relationship between Cam and Dimi. Worth the read.

This is a character driven tale of grief and despair. The writing is very good and the story very spine tingling. I love it from start to finish! Great prose and well developed characters and plot. This is one I would recommend to fans of Darcy Coates

Silent Key by Laurel Hightower has a little something for every horror fan, and it's a must-read for October.

Former police officer Cam Ambrose is dealing with the death of her husband, and the death of his memory, as she learns after his passing that her husband had been keeping major secrets. Cam, along with her 5 year old daughter and her Russian gangster "brother", flee New York for rural Texas, hoping to get a fresh start. But something dark has its eyes on Cam's little family, and it will take all her wits and resources to save them.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the grief was handled well, the premise was very original and the dread was palpable. Silent Key needs to move to the top of your Spooky Reads TBR! Thank you to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the chance to review this advance copy.

Laurel Hightower's first full-length novel shines as a supernatural thriller. In this world, everyone readily accepts ghosts as real or isn't trusted with that information. Cam's husband has been killed and she and her daughter move from NYC to a small town where she meets her neighbour. She also finds out her husband had an affair their whole marriage and that he and their daughter are seers; they can talk to ghosts. Turns out a ghostly loop has been left open and her daughter is in danger. The pace is quick and flies as quickly as a best-seller. This was a quick read that kept me riveted. The ghost story fits in nicely and doesn't take away from the thriller atmosphere. I loved all the characters but wasn't thrilled with the ending. Not so much that I'd dock a rating though.

Silent Key is a mystery wrapped up in a ghost story. Ghosts, submarines, code breaking and an adorable little girl who can communicate with the dead.

Sammy was by far my favorite character. A sweet little 5 year old with other worldly powers, grieving the loss of her father, who also spoke to ghosts. Cam, Sammy’s mother, knew none of this until her husband died leaving all kind of secrets, including an affair.

This could easily be a series and I want to know the continued tales of Sammy, as she grows in her powers.

What a fun police horror book! The pacing was wonderful. I never felt bored. The characters kept me engaged and the ending was super well done.
I really enjoyed the plot. The blend of supernatural with a bit of romance with some fright was amazing.